Pompano en Papillote

Ingredients

• 1 small whole pompano, dressed, about 1 pound
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and fresh black pepper
• 1/2 pound crab meat, picked for cartilage
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 piece of parchment
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1/2 pound cubed butter, cold
• 5 sprigs fried parsley
• Essence

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Season the fish with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and fresh black pepper. In a saute pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, saute the fish for 2 minutes on each side. Remove the fish from the pan. In a mixing bowl, toss the crab meat with the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the crab meat mixture over the fish. Fold the parchment in half lengthwise, and place the fish on one half of the paper. Fold the remaining half over the fish and roll the edges of the paper up to seal the fish tightly in the bag. The parchment bag should form the shape of the fish. Place the parchment bag on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. In a sauce pan, combine the parsley, lemon juice and shallots. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and reduce the liquid by half, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the cold butter until all the butter is incorporated. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. To assemble, using a knife, cut the top of the bag to expose the fish. Spoon the sauce over the fish and garnish with fried parsley and Essence

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.